Hooray for Audiobooks

 By Charlotte Hinger

Santa dumped books by the sleigh load on our family. We all love to read. I like books in any format. I love my hardcovers, of course. But I bless the advent of library ebooks even though sometimes the waitlist is excruciating. I keep downloadable apps smoking. 

I also love audiobooks! I trace that back to when I was a girl and people ironed everything. Yes, everything! My favorite day was ironing day after I was old enough to be trusted with that task. Physically, it was tiring and tedious. But I had a virtuous excuse for listening to the radio all day long. 

Bliss, pure bliss. I listened to Pepper Young's Family, Stella Dallas, Fibber McGee's closet, Amos and Andy. I confess I had to draw the line at The Shadow, and the Twilight Zone. They were simply too terrifying. 

These ironing days instilled my habit of listening. It transferred very easily to audiobooks. The habit of ironing was snuffed out in no time with the invention of dryers and no-iron fabrics. I didn't look back.

But go figure! Talk about ancient conditioning. When I start an audiobook, I immediately start working on something. I don't think my house would ever get cleaned if it weren't for the availability of audiobooks. When I tidy and fold clothes, there's a book playing. Ditto for cleaning bathrooms. Only vacuuming interferes with the sound. I get my audiobooks exclusively from the library through Libby and Hoopla. 

Libby provides excellent sample reads and I appreciate that. I don't like some narrators. I never continue with voices I find irritating or difficult to follow. Some readers are too fast, or too affected. Some have a weird intonation. 

Listening to audiobooks has improved my writing. I'm aware of middle sections that are too boring and slow down the plot, and dialogue that is nearly intolerable. 

Audiobooks make long drives bearable. 

Curiously, an excellent audiobook sometimes leads to increased print sales. So happy listening and reading during 2026

Multi-Author Signings

Last fall I participated in a multi-author signing. It was sponsored by the Loveland Public Library, which is a state of the art facility. There were over fifty authors present with their books on display.

These kinds of events can be very frustrating for the newly published if they have wild expectations for sales. Unless you are a big-name author, chances are you'll be lucky to sell a couple of books.

So why go? There are many reasons to attend and here are a few cheery tips, warnings and observations to make the most of these events:

1. Just because someone doesn't buy your book on the spot doesn't mean he won't buy it later in a different format. On-line offerings are less expensive. 

2. Note the number of persons who explore the displays with a pen and pencil--taking notes. They might plan to download directly from the library. Electronic services through local libraries have exploded. Hoopla, Overdrive, Freading, Librivox, and OneClickdigital are sites that allow instant access to material.

3. If you've published a number of books, bring all the titles. Browsers usually ask "what is the first book in the series?" And that's the one they will want to buy! Not your latest. Multiple titles also demonstrate that people buy and read your books and the publisher finds it worthwhile to stick with you.

4. Put some thought into your display. Buy little bookstands. Make the collection colorful. Some of the authors tables at this event were works of art. Print out a little sign with prices and lay it to one side so customers won't have to ask.

5. Concentrate on getting browsers to stop at your table. Yes, lure them with chocolate. There is no way they can buy books from fifty authors. A little boost to their blood sugar and some pleasant conversation (about your books) can be a welcome pause in the lengthy time it takes to survey the tables.

6. About that pleasant conversation! Make each person feel good about not buying your books. What? Sounds crazy? It's not. Most folks feel guilty about not supporting local authors. People who have done you the enormous courtesy of stopping at your table should be encouraged to read flap copy, the blurbs on the back, and a few sample pages. Get the books in their hands while you talk. Then encourage them to look at other tables before they purchase. After doing so, you and your books will stick in their minds. Not the surly author who sighed and looked cranky when the overwhelmed buyer didn't shell out.

To be continued....at my next posting.